The Dutch Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team has arrived in Turkey to help recover victims of the Kahramanmaras earthquake, which hit Turkey and Syria on Monday.
The team of 65 people, including research and medical personnel, is joined by eight brave pups, eager to look for survivors.
Along with its people and rescue dogs, the team is bringing 15 tons of rescue tools and materials, such as communication equipment, tents, food, and water.
From Eindhoven to Adana
As the NOS reports, the rescue team flew out from Eindhoven Airport last evening, and landed safely in Adana, the south of Turkey, at around 1 AM local time.
Inmiddels zijn onze mensen geland en het tweede vliegtuig met materieel zit er kort achter. Stemming is goed, wel wat vermoeid na een enerverende dag. pic.twitter.com/xHJx7AKrBL— USAR.NL (@USARNL) February 6, 2023
Translation: “Our people have now landed and the second plane with equipment is shortly behind. The mood is good, a bit tired after an exciting day.”
The dogs that the USAR works with come from the national police force, and are specially trained to track down survivors by seeking out human scent. The breeds used for this type of work are mostly German and Dutch Shepherds, and Belgian Malinois.
The rescue team hopes to get to work as soon as possible: “The sooner we get to work, the more likely we are to be able to save people,” says logistics specialist Michael Berger.
Kahramanmaras earthquake
Two devastating earthquakes ripped through Turkey and Syria on Monday — one at 4 AM and one at 1 PM local time (Turkey). They both had a powerful magnitude of 7.8 and 7.5 on the Richter scale.
Turkey-Syria earthquake in numbers:
🔴 4300+ dead
🔴 15,000+ injured
🔴 4500+ buildings collapsed
🔴 350,000+ without homes.
Sending Our prayers, thoughts and condolences to the people of Turkey, Syria, and anyone affected by the devastating earthquakes. pic.twitter.com/Jda7tVcBBo— 🇰🇪💖 (@Simiyu_001) February 7, 2023
Thousands of buildings collapsed as a consequence of the disaster, and as of Tuesday morning, more than 4,300 people have been reported dead. Many more are injured, missing, or without a home.
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